Lacking Time
by KnightMysterio
Summary: The Gambler of Fate and the Oogie Boogie Man play some games together, while Luxord discusses what it means to have time at your fingertips... Rated for minor swearing, nothing major...


_**Lacking Time**_

_By Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires_

_All characters copyrighted to their respective owners and used without permission for non-profit amusement purposes. Story is copyrighted to me. Pairing is a Friendship Luxord/Oogie Boogie. Takes place before Kingdom Hearts 1, contains a couple minor spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 2.  
_

**_Hollow Bastion_**

"Call," said the black-cloaked figure on one side of the table, throwing in some chips. His companion, a ghost-like hulk seemingly made of a burlap sack, just chuckled, showing him his cards.

"Damn…" the cloaked figure said, drawing back his hood to reveal his close-cropped white hair, "I didn't think you had the last ace… Well played, Oogie."

Oogie chuckled. "No prob, m'man. Wanna set up for another a new game, Luxord?"

The cloaked figure nodded, stroking his goatee. "Sure. Same starting chips as before?"

Oogie nodded, and gave the cards back to Luxord, who shuffled them idly as he reorganized the chips into their starting piles. As the ghost separated the chips (discreetly giving more to himself than to Luxord), he stared at Luxord, who was seemed to be staring off into space.

"What's wrong, m'man?"

Luxord sighed. "I hate my power sometimes…"

Oogie gave him a confused look. "Huh? I thought you Nobody types couldn't really hate anything. No hearts, and all."

Luxord shook his head. "Hate doesn't need a heart," he said, dealing the cards.

Oogie frowned. "Y'know… We've been doin' this ever since Boss Mally claimed Hollow Bastion as her own… This is a surprise, comin' from you."

Luxord chuckled softly. "Maybe I better explain…"

Oogie nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

Luxord sighed, and held his first hand up. All garbage. He kept his face still, and placed his first bet, trading in two cards. "My power is time itself," he said as Oogie made his first bet, taking three cards from the deck, "As you well know. I can use it with my card powers, rewind time to make my escape, and so forth… But honestly, the worst part of my power is that I can sometimes see what the future will hold…"

Oogie frowned. "For a gamblin' man like y'self, I think that'd be a real boon."

Luxord shook his head, he and Oogie continuing to play. "No. If I knew what would happen in my games, where would the chance be? The gamble? No, I'm talking about what's going to happen to me. I can even see what's going to happen in other possible timelines."

Oogie frowned. "And you don't like what you see, I'm guessing…"

Luxord smiled sadly. "Time is my power… And yet I can feel time running out for me, the sand slipping through the hourglass faster than I can catch it…"

Oogie blinked. "You're gonna die?"

Luxord nodded. "Not long from now. The Keybearer will kill us all. Our thirteenth and the fourteenth who won't work out will become one with their Somebodies and regain their hearts, but at the cost of their existence. And the rest of us… We'll die. We'll all cease to exist."

Oogie shook his head. "I'm not sure what you mean. I thought you guys said you wanted to get your hearts back?"

Luxord shook his head. "Most to all of us either don't care or want hearts of our own, not those of our Somebodies."

Oogie frowned, and shook his head, showing his hand. A full house.

Luxord showed his hand. A Straight Flush.

Oogie scowled, and began shuffling the cards for the next hand. "I gotta admit, Luxord… That is kind of depressing…"

"The boy will be our death…" Luxord said softly, "When thirteen comes, it'll be the discard pile for all of us…"

Oogie glared at Luxord. "If it's inevitable, why fight it?"

Luxord shrugged helplessly. "I considered that. Looked into the future where I did just that, stopped fighting. Xemnas will turn me into a Dusk, and remove my grave from the Proof of Existence. He'll also take my data form out of the training area at the Garden of Assemblage as well," he said, sighing, "At least this way, by going on with the Superior's doomed plan, I get to go out on my terms. I get to leave some mark, some proof to show that I was there, I actually existed. And who knows? Life's a gamble, Oogie. I may come out on top anyway."

"That's the spirit," Oogie said, nodding, "Never stop playing. Granted, I like rigging the game in my favor…"

"By doing things such as hiding a Royal Diamond Flush in the folds of your bodysack?" Luxord said, grinning impishly.

Oogie blinked. "Man, I hadn't even done that yet! I was just thinkin' it!"

Luxord smirked. "You were going to in the next couple of minutes."

Oogie grumbled, and shuffled the cards back into the deck. "Rassum frassum time lookin' rassum frassum…"

Luxord chuckled as Oogie dealt the next hand. He was surprised at how good it was, but didn't let it show on his face. "Would you like to hear what happens to you and your team?"

Oogie shrugged. "Why not? Having a preview will give me time to rig the game in my favor."

"The Keybearer defeats all of you," Luxord said simply.

Oogie gave Luxord an exasperated look.

Luxord shrugged. "It's the outcome I see as most probable. You and Ursula fight Sora directly, you with the help of those little runts you call minions, and are both killed. Jafar gets turned into a genie and trapped in his lamp. Hook gets chased off into the sunset by that crocodile he's so scared of. Hades gets humiliated in one-on-one combat. Maleficent gets betrayed by one of her minions, who gets possessed by the Superior's Heartless and kills her."

Oogie frowned. "How do I get beat again?"

Luxord sighs. "You fight him directly, in your casino torture room. He's a bit of a runty kid, so you figure that yourself, your exploding dice, your runt minions, and the weapons you have hidden around your room are enough to beat him. That Skellington creature helps fight you, and the Keybearer and his friends finish you off, scattering all the bugs that make up your body."

Oogie Boogie looks thoughtful for a minute, and nods. "Okay… Okay, I can work with that. Helps me know how to change m'own fate. Thanks, Luxord."

"No problem," Luxord said, grinning and showing his hand. It was the Royal Flush of Diamonds that Oogie had been planning to use to cheat with.

"DANGIT!!!"

**_Twilight Town_**

A Gambler floated up to Luxord as he idly sat by one of the currently ice cream stands, munching a sea salt ice cream bar, the owner of the stand having gone on break after serving Luxord.

"What's the good word?" he asked the Gambler.

_ My lord,_ the lesser Nobody said in its ethereal non-voice, _It is as you suspected. Oogie Boogie changed his tactics and was killed. _

Luxord nodded. He was disappointed, and he guessed if he had a heart, he'd be feeling sad. But it wasn't unexpected. "How long ago?"

_ A few weeks. The Keybearer has since been to Hollow Bastion, the event you and the Superior foresaw occurring._

"Which explains why we're here…" Luxord said softly, "Okay, thanks. Now get out of here before someone notices you."

The Gambler vanished in swirl of energy. Luxord sighed, and slurped at his ice cream.

"This stuff really isn't bad…" he said.

"It's one of my favorites, I know that much," said a young voice that Luxord didn't recognize.

Luxord turned, and saw Xemnas and Axel coming up to him, guiding a young boy with a rather unusual swirl of blonde hair.

Xemnas gave a chilling smile, and motioned the boy forward. "Number X, meet our newest member. Roxas."

"Pleased ta meetcha,'" Roxas said, offering Luxord his hand.

_ And so begins the end… _Luxord thought, shaking Roxas's hand amiably. "The pleasure is mine, I'm certain."

_**The End**_


End file.
